October 29th: Prayer
October 29, 2025 FFC- OCFire Small Group Lesson
PRAYER
Prayer is the most amazing thing to consider- Prayer is given to us from God and it is a direct line of communication to the creator of the Universe! What an amazing gift this is- truly- that anytime we want -we can come to the Father and get guidance, encouragement, we can lament properly, receive affirmation and discernment just to name a few. God- the Father is always available to his children-That’s amazing! Now, with that being said- Prayer has always been difficult for me for so many reasons. I am high energy ADD- I can barely sit still for 5 seconds, let alone be quiet and still for minutes to hours. On top of that I go into full squirrel mode- I will be praying and next thing I know I’m thinking about a totally non important different issue. Or sometimes I feel selfish to ask God for things that seem so small compared to really important issues that are going on. Or why am I only praying for myself and not others in my life and in this world. These are just a few of the hurdles I run into on a regular basis with my prayer life. But- when my heart is in the right place and Prayer is used correctly- it is so powerful- words cant describe it. So what is the correct way to pray? Thankfully-Scripture gives us so much guidance, instruction and encouragement on how to use it.
I’m going to start with how to prepare yourself to pray and hear God speak to you. You have to make a quiet time to spend with God and have no distractions. I used to always start my quiet time prayers with what I want to get out of it- but a pastor told me to start my quiet time with, “Father- I want to know you and your character more from this time with you. Help me use this time to learn your will for my life.” Then you read God’s word with an open heart to what The Father is saying to you. In Psalm 145:18-19 it says,
18 The Lord is near to all who call on him,
to all who call on him in truth.
19 He fulfills the desires of those who fear him;
he hears their cry and saves them.
God the Father is always near and attentive to us. This verse is saying we need to truly be sincere and genuinely pray to Him. We need to not just speak the words but have a true heart of his will. His will is Truth- we find His Truth in scripture. It is never ending and never changing- it’s the perfect Word of God. He knows our desires and when we show true Faith in him- he will hear us and guide us.
How about in times of worry? In Philippians 4:6 it says,” 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”
I don’t know about you, but this verse seems like the easiest in the world to say, but the hardest to act out. We do have real situations in our lives that can create fear and worry. But if handled correctly these are the trials that will bring us closer to God than anything else. This is because it builds our Faith! Try to consider with every trial(and they seem to get harder as my faith is strengthened) that it will allow me to witness God’s Love for me and draw me even closer and build my faith more for Him. God’s highest priority in times of uncertainty is not making people “feel” better- it is to build our Faith. So how do we combat this? Every time I start to worry- Stop-and turn that worry into Prayer. Worry won’t change anything, but prayer will change everything!
Now that you are hearing God’s word- pray in all ways and for everything he is telling you. And not just for yourself, but for others as well.
Ephesians 6:18 says,” 18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.
There are many ways to pray; out loud, quietly, in groups, by yourself, in sadness, happiness, lamenting, walking, kneeling- the bottom line- just Pray. Let prayer be an ongoing conversation throughout your day- you don’t always have to say, “In Jesus’ name- Amen” God just wants to talk to you and be with you! Be alert by staying in the Word or being with fellow believers to get proper guidance and discernment from. I love it when I spend time with the Father- hear his will for me and then a fellow believer will confirm it with any sort of dialogue or action in my life! It just lets me know I’m on the right track. His will- not mine. I love how it says, “keep praying for all the Lord’s people” This is the apostle Paul writing to the believers in Ephesus. Knowing that someone is praying for me is such an encouragement. A pastor once asked me-“If all your prayers were answered- would my life be different or would the lives of the other people in my life be different?” This hit me hard! I felt so convicted of how much I was worrying about myself and my needs and the needs of others around me. And not just my church family, but those who are not in the body of Christ as well. I should be focusing on their needs and salvation- not just my own.
Sometimes you might not know what to Pray. There can be many factors and distractions. I think these are the times when we want to stay in the Word for guidance from the Father. In Romans 8:26-27 it says,” 26 In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. 27 And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God.”
When we are weak, and do not know exactly how we should pray, God Himself (through the Holy Spirit) helps by making it clear for us. God knows your heart and he wants to mold it to his will if you will surrender and let him. God the Father and the Spirit are one- so their communication to us is consistent and will align us with their will for our lives- which when done- will bring Glory to God the Father.
In closing I want to say to always come to God with all your needs and the needs of others in your life. No matter how big or small- give them to God. Another great quote I heard is that if you think your biggest problem in life is big to God- then you don’t know God. He is the perfect creator of the universe- nothing is too big or too small for our Heavenly Father. Give it to Him in prayer. The greatest goal of our prayers should be- To not get what we want, but to connect with the one we are talking to.
Things to Consider:
1. How can I make it a habit to regularly have quiet time for God? What distractions might I need to eliminate to make this a priority?
2. What is making you the most anxious right now? How can you turn that worry into prayer?
3. Who are believers in your life that you can bring your prayer requests to and pray for them as well?